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Columbia-Greene Community College holds Relay for Life

By Sara LaFountain

GREENPORT — Music and cheers accompanied young and old alike — all dressed in purple cancer survivor shirts — as they made their first lap around a sidewalk decorated with white luminary bags and bunches of purple and white balloons. The survivors were soon joined by other participants and groups, walking side by side to fight cancer during the American Cancer Society Relay For Life event at the Columbia-Greene Community College.

Relay For Life is a community activity in which teams of people come out to walk around a track or path to raise funds to fight cancer. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the 12-to 24-hour event.

Relay For Life of Columbia-Greene kicked off at 6:30 p.m. with a brief speech by Billy Piskutz, a staff partner from the American Cancer Society. In a voice loaded with enthusiasm, Piskutz told the assembled crowd of cancer survivors, caregivers and community members, “We’re going to fight back against this disease,” noting that the 2008 Relay For Life motto is “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.”

“We do this (walk the path to raise funds) overnight because cancer doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t judge, it doesn’t matter who you are,” he said, adding that people can fight back by inviting others to attend Relay For Life events.

Kim Rhinehart-Rizzi and Lori Mashaw, co-chairs of the event, were on hand to lend a few inspiring words and to light a ceremonial torch.

Cancer survivor Kris Melito spoke about her fight against kidney cancer. She entered into a drug trial that is working “to fight all the cells that try to come back.” Though Melito has a high risk of reoccurrence, she spoke eloquently about the surgery to remove one of her kidneys and added the positive mantra of the event, “We’ll fight back,” at the end of her brief speech.

Following the speeches the relay sprung into action as three grand marshals — Ed Coon, Eleanor “Bootie” Fenoff and Justine Schulerud — snipped through a ribbon blocking the path.

The first lap of the relay is traditionally comprised of cancer survivors who are joined during the next lap by their caregivers, and lastly, by community members.

Teams walked a path in the inner quad of the Columbia-Greene Community College Greenport campus, lined with luminary bags bought in memory of those who have fought, or are currently fighting cancer. Luminary bags also lined a hill near the Professional Academic Center spelling out the word “Hope” — a word changed to “Cure” halfway through a luminary ceremony held at nightfall.

Several teams at the event set up temporary “campsites” for the 12-hour relay, including Carol Matheke, Susan O’Toole and Lynn Skordilis, three members of the Ghent Support Group. All three women are cancer survivors and former or current teachers, in attendance to “honor those who are still fighting the fight like we did (and those who have succumbed to cancer),” said Matheke.

Holding a luminary bag she had just finished decorating in unmistakable school teacher printing, Skordilis noted that her “bulletin board decorating skills” had come in handy.

The Believers, a group from Chatham, were also out in force, having ordered 46 shirts, according to member Anita Blair. Siting next to her were fellow members Mary Minahan and Lisa Sirani, each walking in memory of a loved one.

The event included music by Michael Bizza and various bands from the area including The Ghent Band, along with performances by XCG Cheer and Dance from Hudson. The college’s massage therapy department was also available for chair massages.

For more information on The American Cancer Society Relay For Life, visit www.relayforlife.org.

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